Senator D. Hall , Senator Mullins

CHARLESTON – Ninth District Senators Daniel Hall, R-Wyoming, and Jeff Mullins, R-Raleigh, are asking the West Virginia Board of Education to make a special exemption for the number of instructional days required for students due to extreme winter weather conditions that have affected their district.

As part of education reform signed into law in 2013, county school calendars must provide for 180 instructional days for students, and all snow days must be made up, which can keep students in classes through the end of June. However, the law provides the ability for counties to apply for a waiver to the 180-day provision if there’s a serious emergency.

Senators Hall and Mullins plan to work with superintendents in their respective counties to apply for those exemptions for this year.

“Every day I hear from residents of both Wyoming and Raleigh counties, and they’re in a terrible situation,” Senator Hall said. “There are roads that are impassable, there are people without water, and there are places where it’s absolutely not safe for our children or our teachers to travel.”

Senator Mullins agreed, saying the dire conditions of the past few weeks make this a necessary decision.

“We all agree that education is a top priority, but unfortunately, these areas have been so hard hit, and we have to be pragmatic,” Senator Mullins said. “This is an extreme, yet reasonable, case where we hope the State Board of Education will see this exemption is necessary.

Hall and Mullins plan to coordinate with Raleigh and Wyoming County Schools this week.